U.S. patent number 4,982,875 [Application Number 06/892,909] was granted by the patent office on 1991-01-08 for cap, reservoir and dropper assembly for bottles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Zambon S.p.A.. Invention is credited to Angelo Carenzi, Franco Pozzi.
United States Patent |
4,982,875 |
Pozzi , et al. |
January 8, 1991 |
Cap, reservoir and dropper assembly for bottles
Abstract
The cap reservoir and dropper assembly for bottles includes a
reservoir (1) fitted with a collar 913) adapted for resting on the
mouth of a bottle (4), a delivery piston (2) the lower part of
which is shaped like a flute mouthpiece (24) and the upper part of
which is shaped like a collar (22). The assembly further includes a
cap (3) the lower part of which is in the form of a removable strip
(33). The delivery piston is equipped in its upper part with a
dropper (23). The cap may be equipped with a feature which
cooperates with the delivery piston collar to push the delivery
piston downwards.
Inventors: |
Pozzi; Franco (Como,
IT), Carenzi; Angelo (Busto Arsizio VA,
IT) |
Assignee: |
Zambon S.p.A. (Vicenza,
IT)
|
Family
ID: |
11187673 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/892,909 |
Filed: |
August 1, 1986 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 2, 1985 [IT] |
|
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21845A/85 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/83; 222/420;
604/416; 604/87; 222/129 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
51/285 (20130101); B65D 81/3222 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
51/28 (20060101); B65D 81/32 (20060101); B65D
51/24 (20060101); B65D 047/18 (); A61M
037/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/420,83,91,83.5
;604/87,88,415,416 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Skaggs; H. Grant
Assistant Examiner: Reiss; Steven M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cushman, Darby & Cushman
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cap, reservoir and dispensing dropper assembly for a bottle
comprising:
a reservoir having a first end portion adapted to fit within the
opening in a bottle and having a second end forming a collar
adapted to rest on the mouth of the bottle, the first end of the
reservoir being closed by a closure wall and the second end being
open;
a hollow piston slidably fitted in the open end of the reservoir,
the piston having a first end adapted to cut said closure wall when
forced against the latter and having a second end fitted with a
dropper;
a cap having a side wall adapted to releasably connect with the
exterior of the neck of the bottle and an imperforate end wall
which overlies the second end of said piston, whereby said dropper
is protected from contamination when said assembly is connected to
the bottle by said cap;
said second end of said piston including a circumferential
collar;
said side wall of said cap being internally threaded so as to be
threadedly engaged with external threads on a bottle neck; and
said cap having an internal surface which, upon screwing of said
cap on to the bottle a predetermined distance, engages said piston
collar and forces the piston in a direction to cut said closure
wall, the arrangement being such that further tightening of said
cap forces said piston collar into sealing engagement with said
reservoir collar.
2. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said cap side wall includes a
removable strip having a width equal to the distance between said
piston collar and said reservoir collar.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a reservoir cap with a dropper, for
bottles, in particular for extemporaneous solutions of
pharmaceutical products.
It is known that some drugs are not stable in aqueous medium.
In this case the solution is prepared extemporaneously thus
reducing the time of contact of the drug with the aqeuous medium to
the 7- to 15-day period during which treatment lasts and is
sufficiently limited to not noticeably endanger the stability of
the drug.
Known containers for preparing extemporaneous solution are very
complicated and costly, especially in the case of solutions for
ophthalmic use, and only rarely ensures sterility of the solution.
Indeed, they consist of (i) a bottle containing the drug in the
form of sterile powder or granules (ii) a second bottle or a vial
containing the sterile aqueous solution, and (iii) a third sterile
container containing a dropper.
At the time of use the bottle containing the powder and the vial
containing the solution are opened and the latter is poured into
the bottle. This pouring is less simple that it might seem because
the bottle mouths are rather small and the vial mouths are still
smaller. In addition, in many cases the patient who is to perform
the operation is elderly and has unsteady hands and/or his sight is
rather poor. The easy loss of the aqueous solution causes the
pharmaceutical solution thus obtained to be more concentrated than
expected and this changes the dosage of the drug.
In addition the numerous manual operations required easily comprise
the sterility of the solution and the dropper.
In the case of single-dose drinkable solutions and extemporaneous
syrup there is known the use of reservoirs which contain a powder
and are fitted on the mouth of the bottle containing the aqueous
solution into which the powder is then dropped by breaking or
opening the reservoir. The reservoir is then removed and discarded.
In the case of single-dose solutions the content is promptly drunk
and the container is discarded as well. In the case of syrup a cap
is applied to the bottle mouth.
A reservoir cap not removed after preparation of the extemporaneous
solution and also functioning as a dispenser of the solution and in
particular as a dropper has never been made heretofore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is a cap, reservoir and dropper
assembly, easy to apply and use of extemporaneous solutions which
would also allow preparation of the solution, without pouring from
one bottle to another and without the operator having to handle the
dropper, thus ensuring both sterility of the solution and accurate
dosage of the drug, because the obtained solution is sure to have
the desired concentration.
This has been achieved by means of a cap, reservoir and dropper
assembly for bottles comprising a reservoir fitted with a collar
adapted for resting on the mouth of a bottle, a delivery piston the
lower part of which is shaped in the form of a flute mouthpiece and
the upper in the form of a collar and a cap the lower part of which
is in the form of a removable strip and is characterized in that
the delivery piston is equipped in its upper part with a dropper.
In addition the cap may be equipped with means which cooperate with
the delivery-piston collar to push said delivery-piston
downward.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features and advantages will appear clearly to
those skilled in the art from this description and from the annexed
drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the present invention
and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the cap, reservoir and dropper
assembly mounted on a bottle as it appears before preparation of
the solution, and
FIG. 2 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but showing the
position in which the cap, reservoir and dropper assembly is found
after preparation of the solution.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As may be seen in FIG. 1 a reservoir 1 containing granules or a
powder 12 rests on the mouth of the bottle 4 by means of a collar
13.
Within this reservoir is placed a delivery piston 2 consisting of a
hollow cylindrical body the lower part of which is shaped like a
flute mouthpiece 24. The upper part of said delivery piston is
fitted with a collar 22 and a dropper 23 having a tip in which a
dispensing opening is formed or can be formed.
On the threaded neck 41 of the bottle 4 is then housed a cap 3 with
threads 35 fitted with a tear-off strip 31 which acts as a retainer
and a seal of guarantee and which is made integral with the bottle
neck by known means (not shown); the upper part of the cap 3 has
meamns 34 which can exert uniform pressure on the collar 22 and is
shaped in such a manner that a recess 32 houses the dropper 23.
Preferably the upper part of the recess 32 is provided with a small
protrusion (not shown) which closes the opening of the dropper thus
preventing the solution to flow out when the bottle is put in a
pocket or a bag.
The bottle 4 can be made of a rigid material such as glass or
polypropylene or a semirigid material such as polyethylene.
The reservoir is preferably made of a semirigid material such as
polyethylene and on the circumference of the bottom 11 the
thickness thereof is much reduced so as to form a weakened
line.
The body of the delivery piston is preferably made of a rigid
material such as polypropylene and of a rigid or semirigid material
in its upper part in the form of a dropper 23; in addition the
lower part in the form of a flute mouthpiece is shaped in such a
manner as to have a cutting edge appropriately incised or
perforated to allow delivery of all the solution contained in the
bottle.
The cap 3 may be made of a rigid or semirigid material. The
tear-off strip 31 is connected to the cap body by connecting tabs
(not shown) which facilitate removal thereof.
During packaging the powder or granules 12 are metered into the
reservoir 1 on which is then mounted the delivery piston 2 and the
assembly may be sterilized when necessary by usual methods.
This assembly is then mounted on the bottle 4 into which the
solution was previously metered. Finally, the cap 3 is applied and
the container thus prepared may be sterilized if necessary.
All the filling and sterilization operations may be performed using
conventional techniques and machines.
At the time of use the tear-off strip or guarantee seal 31 is torn
off. This operation is facilitated by the presence of a tongue
33.
The tear-off strip 31 also acts as a retainer since its height is
the same as that separating the lower wall of the collar 22 from
the upper part of the collar 13. Once the guarantee seal 31 has
been torn off the cap can be screwed down further.
During this operation the means 34 press on the collar 22 of the
delivery piston 2 which, thanks to the lower part shaped in the
form of a flute mouthpiece 24, cuts and detaches almost completely
the bottom 11 of the reservoir, being facilitated therein by the
weakening along the circumference of the bottom 11. Only the part
at the highest point 25 of the flute mouthpiece is not cut, thus
preventing the bottom 11 of the reservoir 1 from falling into the
solution.
The granules or powder 12 fall into the solution, in this manner
forming the desired pharmaceutical solution of suspension.
At the same time the dropper becomes functional, resting its collar
12 on the collar 13 of the reservoir.
At this point operation of the dropper bottle in accordance with
the present invention is fully equivalent to that of dropper
bottles of the type commonly used for stable pharmeceutical
solutions.
In the illustrated embodiment the cap 3 is screwed onto the neck of
the bottler but it may be made to fit under pressure alone.
The part 34 of the cap which functions together with the collar 22
to push the delivery piston downward is illustrated in a flat form
but it may be in any other form provided it be capable of
performing the required function.
When required the cap may be shaped in the form of a childproof cap
of a known type.
The dropper is preferably made tight when it is desired to fill the
reservoir with a liquid which will be mixed with the liquid
contained in the bottle when the bottom 11 of the reservoir is cut;
in this case a sharp protrusion (not shown) located in the upper
part of the recess 32 pierces the upper part of the dropper when
the cap 3 is pressed on the collar 22 and the latter rest on the
collar 13.
Other embodiments can be easily made without departing from the
inventive idea illustrated above.
* * * * *